Dimension of the Torelli group for \(\text{Out}(F_n)\). (Q2466351)

In this paper the authors study the Torelli group \(\mathcal T_n\) for \(\text{Out}(F_n)\). The Torelli group is the kernel of the natural epimorphism of \(\text{Out}(F_n)\) onto \(\text{GL}_n(\mathbb{Z})\), where to each \(\varphi\in\text{Out}(F_n)\) there corresponds the automorphism induced on \(F_n/F'_n\) by any representative of \(\varphi\) in \(\Aut(F_n)\). It is known that this map is surjective, so there is an exact sequence \[ 1\to\mathcal T_n\to\text{Out}(F_n)\to\text{GL}_n(\mathbb{Z})\to 1. \] The main theorem states that for \(n\geq 3\) (1) \(\mathcal T_n\) has a (\(2n-4)\)-dimensional Eilenberg-MacLane space. (2) \(H_{2n-4}(\mathcal T_n ,\mathbb{Z})\) is infinitely generated. (3) \(\mathcal T_n\) is finitely generated The authors note that the group \(\mathcal T_n\) was proved, by \textit{J. Nielsen} for \(n=3\) [Math. Ann. 91, 169-209 (1924; JFM 50.0078.04)] and by \textit{W. Magnus} for \(n>3\) [Acta Math. 64, 353-367 (1935; Zbl 0012.05405)], to be finitely generated (number (3) in their main theorem). \textit{S. Krstić} and \textit{J. McCool} in 1997 [Invent. Math. 129, No. 3, 595-606 (1997; Zbl 0880.20031)] proved that \(\mathcal T_3\) is not finitely presented. The authors here use combinatorial Morse theory to reprove among the others the above result of Krstić-McCool.